“It’s understandable. Perhaps if we weren’t there Kimberly just might have gotten somewhere.”
“Unless he’d rather not have her investigating.”
“I can’t say I’d blame him, but Kimberly is always eager to take on a case and she investigates them as eagerly as we do,” Agnes pointed out.
“It’s too bad her baby is staying with Jeremy’s sister.”
“I have a feeling Kimberly will be staying at the chalet until this case is solved, especially with Jeremy out of town. Kimberly is quite fortunate to be able to stay home and take care of her baby.”
“I’ve never heard of Kimberly having anyone watch Abigail that isn’t family.”
Agnes’ hands slipped to her hips. “I think it’s time to start the grill if we want to eat tonight.”
“Oh, does that mean you filled the cabin with goodies?”
“Yes, and some of the food you can cook.”
“Who is this ‘we’ that you speak of?” Eleanor asked with a smile. “I didn’t agree to cook on my vacation.”
“So you don’t want a big, fat rib-eye steak for dinner?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened. “I never said that. How about I start the grill and you do the cooking. Gas grills are so intimidating.”
“Then let me handle the lighting of the grill.” Agnes laughed at what she thought might be a clever joke until it obviously fell flat when Eleanor only frowned.
Agnes walked into the kitchen and came back with a utility butane lighter. It really helped to light the grill without getting too close.
Eleanor backed away as Agnes walked over and smiled. “Thanks for turning the gas on for me, but I think you should have waited for me.”
“I did no such thing. The tank is probably empty.”
Agnes shrugged and put the lighter between the grid and clicked. And with a whoosh Eleanor tackled Agnes away from the grill just as a fireball escaped and engulfed the entire grill.
“Yikes!” Agnes exclaimed as she dodged down the steps with Eleanor right behind her. Flames engulfed the side of the cabin.
“It’s going to blow ... it’s going to blow!” Eleanor screamed as she tugged her friend into the lake and called 9-1-1. “I don’t know the address!” she yelled at the operator. “We’re here on vacation.”
“It’s Lakeview Road,” Agnes said. “All you have to do is follow the black smoke and flames. Hurry before the propane tank explodes!”
The roar of the fire trucks and sound of the sirens split the quiet. Agnes assured herself that no other cabins were nearby, but hoped the flames wouldn’t spread to the nearby trees. Firefighters rushed to extinguish the fire, and moved the grill into the sand, where the fire was easily extinguished.
But the cabin was now consumed with flames.
“They won’t be able to save the cabin,” Eleanor said with a gasp.
“Or our belongings.”
“At least I have clothing,” Eleanor suddenly remembered. “I left my suitcase at Mrs. Peacock’s house. It should still be there on her porch. I completely forgot to retrieve it.”
“Well, that only leaves one of us without a change of clothing.”
“That and all the goodies you bought.”
Agnes wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the loss of her belongings or the food packed in the kitchen. “I’m just glad we weren’t harmed. How did you know the grill was going to catch fire?”
“I can’t say I knew that would happen, but I told you gas grills make me nervous. All I could think about was you thanking me for turning the gas on. I knew right then I had to act to save you before you blew up with the grill.”
“And I can’t thank you enough for that, Eleanor.”
Deputy Danworth walked from down the beach and motioned for Agnes and Eleanor to join him, which they gladly did.
“Are you ladies okay?” Danworth asked with a concerned frown.
“Yes. Thanks to Eleanor’s fast actions.”
“Agnes thought I turned the gas on the grill for her, but I didn’t. I barely pulled her out of the way before the grill went up in flames,” Eleanor explained.
“I was lighting it with a utility lighter,” Agnes added.
“You mentioned the gas was already on?” Danworth asked.
“Yes,” Agnes said. “We’d only just arrived at the cabin.”
“Hey, we were doing a little investigating,” Eleanor said. “What if this was an attempt on our lives?”
Danworth scoffed. “That’s hardly likely. How would anyone know where you were staying or that you planned to come back to the cabin and use the grill?”
“How would they know indeed? I plan to find out,” Eleanor insisted.
“Where were you today?”
“Church,” Agnes said.
Danworth’s brow furrowed. “The cause of the fire most likely was accidental. Nobody wishes any harm to come to any tourist.”
“Of course the fire department will be doing an investigation. I just hope that the grill wasn’t set to blow when we lighted it.”
“Like I already told you, how would anyone know you’d even use the grill?”
“Because we’re tourists. Everyone knows when you rent a cabin you use the grill. We’re much too old to light a campfire.”
“It’s not even dark yet,” Eleanor added with a grin.
A man dressed in black pants and a white button down shirt with a patch the read “Fire Chief” approached. “I hope you ladies have family in the area, because your car got torched.”
Agnes swallowed hard. “That’s not good.”
“It’s a rental. At least she didn’t drive her husband’s SUV to Redwater.” Eleanor laughed.
“I don’t find a fire a laughing matter, ladies,” the chief scolded.
“We suspect that grill was set to blow up when it was lit,” Agnes said.
“Chief Brody, the ladies think someone was trying to kill them. Apparently they’re in cahoots with Kimberly Steele.”
Agnes’ hands slipped to her hips and she gnashed her teeth before responding with, “I don’t care for the way you said that. I better call Kimberly to make sure she’s safe. Someone just might not want us solving Milly’s murder.”
“Again, where did you go today?”
“She already told you we went to church!” Eleanor gasped.
“Do you need to speak with us further, chief?” Agnes asked.
When he frowned, Eleanor added, “We’d like to call someone to pick us up.”
“It’s best that you left town,” Danworth said.
“Excuse me? What do you mean ‘leave town?’”
“The Redwater Sheriff’s Department doesn’t need you poking into an active case.”
“And what about someone trying to off us?”
“I’ll have an investigator out here first thing in the morning if things have cooled off by then,” Brody said. “I think I’d rather have the ladies stick around town until I clear this up.”
“Sounds like the smartest thing I’ve heard all day,” Eleanor said.
“Do you actually think what they’re saying has any merit?” Danworth asked.
“Actually, nothing is farfetched when it comes to fire investigation. I’ll do my best to expedite my investigation. Perhaps you should go to the hospital and get checked out.”
“We don’t need to do that. Fortunately Eleanor moved me out of the way before I was blown up. I should never have tried to light the grill when the gas was already on, but I really didn’t smell a lot of gas.”
“Quite strange, but I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Kimberly frowned when she ended her call with Agnes.
“I have to pick up Agnes and Eleanor,” she told Jeremy and Betsie. “The cabin they rented caught on fire.”
“What?” Jeremy asked. “I’ll drive you.”
“No, let me do it. Agnes sounded so rattled on the phone. Can they stay here with you, Betsie?”
“Of course. There’s plen
ty of room.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Jeremy asked.
“I’ll be fine, and it’s not that far.”
While driving, Kimberly couldn’t fathom what might have happened. Cabins don’t catch on fire that often. She refused to believe Agnes or Eleanor could have been at fault.
Agnes and Eleanor waved frantically to get Kimberly’s attention and she pulled on the shoulder of the road. Rattled, Agnes and Eleanor climbed into the car and prattled on excitedly.
“I can’t understand a word either of you are saying,” Kimberly said as she drove back in the direction of the chalet.
“I thought it might be nice to cook up a few steaks for dinner,” Agnes said.
“But the grill had other ideas and caught on fire. I saved Agnes before she went up with it.”
“I think there’s been an attempt on our life. Why would the gas already be on before I even tried to light it?”
“She thought I turned on the gas,” Eleanor added.
“I suppose we’ll have to wait until after the investigation to find out what happened for certain.”
“It’s reasonable to believe it could have been accidental. There’s nothing going on investigation-wise that would make someone want to kill either of you,” Kimberly said.
“Just in case, I believe you should be extra careful, Kimberly,” Agnes said.
“I will be staying at the chalet and so will the both of you. Safety in numbers.” She winked. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell Jeremy your suspicions. I’d hate to ruin his business trip.”
Agnes sighed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. If he finds out and you didn’t tell him ... .”
“You said yourself that there will be an investigation, so you really can’t say for certain if there was any malicious intent pertaining to the fire.”
“Fine. I’ll go along with it, but we’re not letting you out of our sight,” Agnes said. “I won’t see you harmed needlessly.”
“And I won’t believe this had anything to do with our investigation. We’ve only spoken to a select few so far, and none of them were even present at the bingo when Milly was poisoned.”
“All I can say is that we haven’t been in town long enough for anyone to want us dead yet,” Eleanor said in a hushed tone.
“What’s all this whispering about out here?” Betsie asked with her daughter Katie in tow as the door to the chalet opened. Katie was six years old, with apple cheeks and brilliant blue eyes that matched her blue sundress.
Katie glanced curiously at Eleanor. “Why do you have so many spots?”
“It’s not nice to stare,” Betsie scolded her daughter.
“I’m not offended,” Eleanor said. “They’re actually moles, but spots sound much more fun.”
Katie giggled.
“I hope you don’t mind sharing a room ... or bed. The spare bedroom has a queen-sized bed,” Betsie said.
“That’s fine with me as long as I get the right side of the bed,” Eleanor said.
“The left side of the bed is closer to the bathroom.” Kimberly laughed. “It’s bad enough that you’ll hear the lake hitting the shore all night.”
“You mean we get the good room?” Agnes asked. “You should stay in that room, Kimberly.”
“Actually I’m heading home tonight with Jeremy. I’ll come back in the morning.”
“What about Abigail?”
“I think Jeremy and Kimberly could use a night alone,” Betsie said. “I hope you won’t give my brother such a bad time about not telling you about his business trip first.”
“Oh, and did he mention something?”
Betsie sighed. “Please don’t put me in the middle of this. I’ll agree that he should have told you, but … .”
Kimberly sighed as she walked back inside and showed Agnes and Eleanor the spare bedroom. Eleanor’s eyes practically popped out of her head when she spied the pink and yellow quilt. She rubbed her fingers on the fabric and found it much softer than she thought it would be. “I thought this room would have a better view.”
Kimberly pushed a button on the wall and the wall slid back, revealing elegant French patio doors with lacy curtains that she swept aside to show the magnificent lakefront view.
“Wow,” Agnes said. “That is an amazing view, even if it will be too dark at night to really enjoy.”
“The waves lapping the shore can be quite hypnotic,” Kimberly explained, “especially with the wind picking up tonight.”
Eleanor opened a door along another wall and disappeared into a sizable bathroom with garden tub and a separate shower nestled in the corner. It was the shiniest bathroom she had ever seen, everything sparkled, from the fixtures to the spigots.
“Thank you for allowing us to stay, but poor Agnes doesn’t have anything to wear for tomorrow. It would be in poor form for her to investigate wearing the same thing she wore today.”
“Poor form, eh?” Agnes asked with a highly-arched brow. “I don’t suppose anything is open tonight where I could purchase some clothing.”
“If we hurry we’ll make it to Graham’s Clothing Store before it closes,” Kimberly said.
“The problem is that we don’t have a ride,” Agnes reminded Kimberly.
“Why don’t you drop us off at Mrs. Peacock’s house, providing Mrs. Barry is still there,” Eleanor suggested. “I left my suitcases on her porch.”
“I’d be happy to give you ladies a ride. And I have an idea that Mrs. Barry is still there since it’s after five.”
“Cocktail hour?”
“Something like that. I imagine, she’ll need someone to take her home.”
Chapter Five
Kimberly said her goodbyes and left Agnes and Eleanor in the company of the bird sisters and Mrs. Barry, who were indeed into their cups.
“I still can’t believe your rented cabin burned to the ground,” Mrs. Peacock said.
“I’m not surprised.” Mrs. Barry burped loudly. “I meant, how awful.”
“Could we borrow your car, Mrs. Barry?” Agnes asked. “We could give you a ride home first.”
“What makes you think I want a ride home?”
“Well, it certainly wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you’re pickled,” Mrs. Peacock said.
“Mrs. Barry can sleep in the spare bedroom, sister.”
“I think not,” Mrs. Barry hissed. “The last thing I want to hear when I sleep is a loud-mouthed bird.”
“Where is Birdie, anyway?” Agnes asked.
“Sleeping,” Mrs. Peacock said.
Agnes had the inclination to wake that viperous bird just for spite, but she let the impulse wane. It was wrong to hate a bird, Agnes knew, but he was so foul-mouthed that she half wondered if he was a reincarnation of an angry old man.
“Why don’t you ladies help Mrs. Barry to the car,” Mrs. Canary suggested. “We’d hate to have Birdie wake her too early, and that’s exactly what he does here at the crack of dawn.”
“Is he a rooster or what?” Eleanor asked.
“We suspect so.” Mrs. Peacock smiled.
Mrs. Barry didn’t need help to walk to the car as the bird sisters suggested. Apparently she could hold her liquor.
Agnes dropped Mrs. Barry off, walking her inside to assure herself that the old dear wouldn’t break something on the way. Lawsuit-happy Mrs. Barry would certainly file against both Agnes and Eleanor if she harmed herself.
Eleanor tapped her watch. “We’d better hurry. Graham’s Clothing Store closes soon.”
It was ten minutes before closing when Agnes and Eleanor hurried inside. The parking lot was nearly full and the store filled with women who carried handheld devices that were similar to large calculators. When Agnes spotted a woman counting bars of soap she realized they were conducting inventory.
Agnes hurried to a rack and began sorting through hangers.
“We’re closed,” a young woman said. “We closed early for inventory.”
Eleanor crossed her meaty arms. “I’m sorry, but there’s no way we’re leaving until Agnes here finds suitable clothing.”
“What’s going on, Lara?” a man wearing jeans and T-shirt asked.
“I told these ladies we were closed for inventory.”
“And I was just about to tell Lara here that Agnes here lost all of her clothing in a fire during a grilling accident at our cabin tonight.”
Lara’s mouth formed a big O.
“How awful,” the man said.
“Does that mean they’ll be allowed to make purchases tonight, Spencer?” Lara asked.
“Of course, but if at all possible please don’t take too long. It’s a nightmare dealing with inventory. Lara, go recount that basket. I want to make certain no errors happen this year.”
“I promise this won’t take long. I just need at least one outfit to wear tomorrow.”
Spencer simply nodded and stood watching a woman who was counting scarves with a raised brow.
Agnes made quick work out of finding lavender pants and a white shirt with a flower that matched the color of the pants. She snagged a package of underwear and a nightgown on the way to the register.
Lara hurried to the register and rang Agnes up, making small talk. “It’s horrible about the cabin. What kind of grilling accident was it?”
“Why are you grilling us about this?” Eleanor said with a chuckle. “Get it?”
Agnes shot Eleanor a look. “I wish we knew.”
“Gas grill?” Lara asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason. It’s just a question. Lighting a gas grill can be dangerous.”
Lara remained silent as she finished ringing up Agnes’s purchase.
On the way back to the car, Eleanor said, “That was a strange comment. Why would she guess it’s a gas grill and not a charcoal or open fire we planned to use to cook?”
“I’ve never heard of a charcoal grill going ‘poof’ when it’s lit.”
“When was the last time you’ve lit one? If you put too much lighter fluid on the charcoal it can certainly cause a fire.”
“A fire, not a fireball.” Agnes sighed. “There’s no sense worrying about this until it’s proven there was foul play. Besides, we need to focus on Milly’s death.”
Pretty, Hip, & Venomous Page 4
